Our Mission

Anne Murphy, a first generation resident of the Salish Sea region, was born in the Ohio River Valley of Kentucky. She moved west to attend Oregon State University for a degree in Natural Resource Management. She migrated to the North Olympic Peninsula to engage in coastal issues, resulting in a 27-year career in the non-profit, education and conservation field. As Executive Director of the Port Townsend Marine Science Center, Anne developed education programs and exhibits featuring Salish Sea marine life and conservation. She promoted citizen participation in science by establishing a community research lab that became the backbone of one of the region’s strongest citizen science programs. Since retiring in 2013, she remains hands-on with conservation through the Jefferson Marine Resources Committee and personal projects.

Jerry Masters is general manager for Valley Supply, a regional building supply company, and has represented economic interests on the Snohomish MRC, including serving two terms as chair of the committee. He also serves as a gubernatorial appointee to the Northwest Straits Commission. Jerry is excited by the Initiative’s ability to accomplish work through voluntary actions and its sense that responsibility for environmental outcomes should be shared by all.

Betsy Lyons has over 17 years of experience working collaboratively on scientific research, policy and conservation efforts in the Pacific Northwest. She has worked on a broad range of issues including forest canopy research, rare plant conservation, natural area stewardship, native oyster restoration, water quality, shoreline and estuary restoration and climate change. Her interest is in bring together people, funding, technical resources and sound science to make informed decisions and strategic investments in Puget Sound. She believes healthy, functioning habitats are key to supporting vibrant and sustainable local communities. She values the Northwest Straits Foundation's commitment to informed policy through sound science, citizen engagement, public-private partnerships, and voluntary conservation. Betsy was an integral member of the Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Program which created the state’s nearshore ecosystem restoration strategy for Puget Sound. She helped create and manage the Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program which provides funding and technical assistance for high quality nearshore restoration, protection and monitoring in Puget Sound. She has a BS in Botany from the University of Washington and a Master of Environmental Studies from the Evergreen State College.  She currently lives and works in the Seattle area.

Simon has lived, worked, and played on Puget Sound for most of his life (aside from two separate stints in Washington DC, where he worked for Senator Maria Cantwell and the Department of Energy's Wind and Water Power Program). He served on the Snohomish County MRC from 2010-2016, as vice chair for during the last three of those years. Before that, Simon was the Marine Programs Manager for the NWS Commission. These days, Simon stays busy as a Program Manager for Pacific NW National Laboratory's Marine Sciences Laboratory in Sequim. He splits his time between the Laboratory and running a small film production studio, Transect Films, with his wife, Faith. Simon, Faith, and their five-year-old daughter, Hala recently moved to Port Townsend, after years of battling traffic in Seattle and are still in the process of decompressing.

Jay Lind is a third generation seafood processor with experience in marketing, quality control, finance, plant management, and international trade. He has a business degree from the University of Puget Sound and is currently involved with importing squid products and trading in seafood from the North Pacific. Jay is a member of the Skagit Marine Resources Committee.

Jeff Ward is a marine ecologist who retired in March 2015 as Senior Program Manager at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Sequim. He has over 35 years’ experience designing, implementing, and managing multidisciplinary environmental projects that assess ecological and human health risk and explain the tradeoffs associated with various management actions. Throughout his career, Jeff has worked closely with federal, state and local regulatory agencies; industry; and other stakeholder groups to develop collaborative solutions to complex problems and challenges. He currently represents the Clallam County MRC on the Northwest Straits Commission and the Northwest Straits Foundation, and is the coastal energy representative on the Washington Coast Marine Advisory Council.